Interesting facts of military history

Some famous WW1 aces:

Albert Ball
England
Victories: 44
Died: 07 May 1917
Cemetery: Annoeullin Communal Cemetery, German Extenstion, Nord, France

Ball was the first British ace idolized by the public.

Ball was a loner with strong religious convictions who soon established a reputation as a fearless pilot and excellent marksman

In just three months over the Somme, he scored his first 30 victories.

"The S.E.5 has turned out a dud... It's a great shame, for everybody expects such a lot from them... it is a rotten machine." Albert Ball

"Won't it be nice when all this beastly killing is over, and we can enjoy ourselves and not hurt anyone? I hate this game . . ." Albert Ball in letters to his father and fiancée, 6 May 1917


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Andrew Frederick Weatherby "Proccy" Beauchamp Proctor
Country: South Africa
Victories: 54

An S.E.5a pilot, Beauchamp Proctor was just five feet two inches tall. His height made it necessary to raise the seat and modify the controls of the aircraft he flew. Despite these difficulties and a crash on 11 March 1918, Beauchamp Proctor claimed 54 victories that year and became the British Empire's highest scoring balloon buster.


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William "Billy" Avery Bishop
Canada
Victories: 72

"The Lone Hawk" was considered by some to be a mediocre pilot, but his extraordinary eyesight and consistent practice earned him a reputation as a crack shot. As the commanding officer of the "Flying Foxes," he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) after scoring 25 victories in just twelve days.

On the morning of 2 June 1917, his single-handed attack against a German aerodrome on the Arras front earned him the Victoria Cross, making Bishop the first Canadian flyer to receive this honor.

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Oswald Boelcke
Victories: 40
Died: 28 October 1916
Cemetery: Ehrenfriedhof (Cemetery of Honor), Dessau

Author of the "Dicta Boelcke," he developed rules for air combat, many of which remain relevant today. While flying an infantry support mission, Boelcke's Albatros D.II briefly collided with that of Erwin Böhme. Böhme survived but Boelcke was killed.

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Edward Corringham "Mick" Mannock
England
Victories: 61
Died: 26 July 1918
Memorial: Arras Flying Services Memorial, Pas de Calais, France

Despite a congenital defect that left him virtually blind in his left eye, Mannock was accepted by the Royal Flying Corps in 1917.

In February 1918, he was reassigned to 74 Squadron as a flight commander, scoring thirty six victories with an S.E.5a before replacing William Bishop as the commanding officer of 85 Squadron on 3 July 1918. Mannock never achieved the public notoriety of Albert Ball, but he was revered by his men and proved to be one of the greatest flight leaders of the war.

After selflessly sharing his 61st victory with Donald Inglis, a newcomer from New Zealand who had yet to score, Mannock was killed when his aircraft was shot down in flames by machine gun fire from the ground.

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James Thomas Byford "Mac" McCudden
England
Victories: 57
Died: 09 July 1918
Cemetery: Wavans British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France

His talents as a pilot were so extraordinary that he became an instructor within days of receiving his aviator's certificate. By the beginning of April 1918, 22 year old James McCudden was the most decorated pilot in the Royal Air Force. Sadly, he was killed three months later when his aircraft stalled after take off and crashed to the ground.

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http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/

 

The location statement for Scottish Command, G Branch for 31st December 1943 gives the location of 6 Pack Troop Group, Indian Army, at Dingwall in the Scottish Highlands.
This unit came under 52 (Lowland) Division, and was probably involved in the Fortitude North D-Day deception campaign. This involved the 52nd Div. being retrained as a mountain division in preparation for a fictitious invasion of Norway.
If memory serves, there was a mountain warfare school set up at at Kingussie in the Highlands to further this.

(NA file WO166/10362 31/12/1943).

A good quiz question, methinks.

Regards,
Gordon

[ 17. February 2004, 08:00 AM: Message edited by: The_Historian ]

 

As World War I began in August 1914, Fokker had to decide if he would stay in Germany or return home to the Netherlands. He had tried selling airplanes to all the European countries, but only Germany had bought any. Since the Netherlands had declared itself neutral, Fokker decided to stay in Germany.

http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Air_Power/Fokker/AP7.htm

From August 1915 until April 1916, the Allied air forces were helpless against the Eindecker. In fact, British pilots were nicknamed "Fokker Fodder." Germans gained four victories for every one Eindecker loss. And the Germans were careful to maintain their advantage, not allowing the plane to pass over lines where it might be shot down and captured. The plane was credited with the German victory at Verdun, as well as a temporary halt in British strategic bombing. Not until April 1916 did a plane fall into Allied hands. Within weeks, two planes were debuted that regained air superiority for the Allies: the French Nieuport 11 and the British Sopwith Strutter.

Realizing Fokker’s potential, the German government naturalized him in 1916 and forbade him to leave the country.

When the war ended, the D.VII was the only weapon the Treaty of Versailles specifically ordered to be destroyed.

Fokker died prematurely in 1939 when he was 49 from an infection following nose surgery in a New York hospital.

 

Some little details:

August 9, 1673 Dutch recapture NY from English; regained by English in 1674

August 9, 1790 Columbia returns to Boston after 3 year journey, 1st ship to carry US flag around the world

August 9, 1848 Austria & Sardinia sign cease fire

August 9, 1942 Mahatma Gandhi & 50 others arrested in Bombay after passing of a "quit India" campaign by the All-India Congress

http://www.brainyhistory.com/days/august_9.html

February 5, 1918 1st US pilot to down an enemy airplane, Stephen W Thompson

August 8, 1918 6 US soldiers are surrounded by Germans in France, Alvin York is given command & shoots 20 Germans & captures 132 more



September 1, 1918 US troops land in Vladivostok, Siberia, stay until 1920

September 26, 1918 Battle of the Argonne, final major battle of WW I

http://www.brainyhistory.com/years/1918.html

 

Henry Shrapnel (1761 - March 13, 1842) was a British Army officer and inventor

Henry Shrapnel was born in Wiltshire, England. In 1784, while a lieutenant in the Royal Artillery, he perfected his invention of what he called "spherical case" ammunition: a hollow cannon ball filled with shot which burst in mid-air. When it was finally adopted by the British Army in 1803, it immediately acquired the inventor's name: the shrapnel shell.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Shrapnel


Shrapnel was promoted to major on November 1, 1803 after eight years as a captain. After his invention's success in battle on April 30, 1804, (enabled the British to capture Surinam ) Shrapnel was promoted to lieutenant colonel on July 20, 1804, less than nine months later.

Admiral Sir Sydney Smith was so enthusiastic that he ordered 200 shells at his own expense. When writer Francis Scott Key saw the British shells bursting over Baltimore in1814, the sight was so awesome the wrote of them in the poem that became the U.S. national anthem.

After the battle of Vimiera In 1808, Napoleon ordered all unexploded British shells to be collected and taken apart to find out how they worked. They never did get to the bottom of Shrapnel’s weapon and its brutal efficiency played a crucial role in finishing Napoleon at Waterloo.

Wellington’s gunnery commander Colonel Robe said, "no fire could be more murderous." French soldiers were so frightened by the casualties that they were often taken prisoner lying down. Rumours spread that the British had poisoned the cannon balls.

Without shrapnel, the recovery of a key position at Waterloo, the farmhouse at La Haye Sainte, would not have happened, according to General Sir George Wood,Wellington’s artillery commander. "On this simple circumstance hinged entirely the turn of the battle."



In recognition of Shrapnel's contribution, the British Government in 1814 awarded him £1200 a year for life.( but he was left worse off because he was passed over for promotion to the command of a battalion.)

He was appointed to the office of Colonel-Commandant, Royal Artillery, on March 6, 1827. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general on January 10, 1837.

He died at Peartree House in Southampton, in 1842.

He is commemorated, not with a statue or a museum but with a small plaque on the wall of a Sussex pub that stands on the site of his workshop.

Incredibly his Spherical Case Shot was still in use in World War Two the last fired by the British in Burma in 1943....

More:

http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/shrapnell/shrapnell.htm

 

Gas casualties WW1

Country /Non-fatal injuries /Deaths /Total

Austrian-Hungary /97.000 /3.000 /100.000

British Empire /180.597 /8.109 /188.706

France /182.000/ 8.000 /190.000

Germany /191.000 /9.000 /200.000

Italy /55.373 /4.627 /60.000

Russia /419.340/ 56.000 /475.340

United States/ 71.345/ 1.462 /72.807

Others/ 9.000 /1.000 /10.000

Total 1.205.655 91.198 1.296.853

http://home.hetnet.nl/~supersmit/ww1/facts.html

[ 03. March 2004, 07:29 AM: Message edited by: Kai-Petri ]

 

What Germany lost/paid after losing WW1 ( some facts ):

Germany's colonies were divided between Italy, France, Belgium, Japan and Britain.

The Saar mines were transferred to France, as was Alsace-Lorraine, with its two million population and three-quarters of German iron production.

The southern part of Silesia, with its industries and mines were ceded to Poland, whereas the north part of Schleswig went to Denmark.

The Allied nations seized 5000 cannons, 30,000 machine guns, 3000 mine throwers, 2000 aeroplanes, 100 submarines and eight cruisers.

In May 1921 the hard-headed Allies demanded the full payment of 132,000 million gold marks as reparations. To overcome any major difficulties, and show their generosity, payment in kind was arranged, whereby Britain was to receive tonnage for tonnage and class for class all her lost shipping during the war. The French were given 5000 trains, 150,000 railway wagons, 10,000 lorries and 140,000 cows. The Belgians also received their payment in cattle.

http://www.marxist.com/germany/chapter5.html

 

Children’s Crusade (1212-1213)

One of the most lamentable episodes in the Crusades was the Children’s Crusade of 1212/1213. In the summer of 1212, thousands (one report says 30,000) of children (ages 10-18), mostly from France and Germany, left for the Holy Lands to recapture Jerusalem. A number of lesser nobles and clergy joined them on their ill-fated journey.

Most of the “crusaders” never reached the Holy Llands. Many died crossing the Alps. Others were captured and sold as slaves. Some girls ended up in Roman brothels. Few of the crusaders ever returned home.

Some people believe that the Children’s Crusade was the impetus behind the “Pied Piper of Hamelin” legend.

While the Children’s Crusade was an unmitigated disaster, Pope Innocent III used it as a positive example when calling for a new Crusade in 1215:

“These children shame us. While we are asleep, they march forth joyously to conquer the Holy Land.” (Pope Innocent III)

http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/crusades/

 

Not sure if this one counts as military history or not.
After the campaign against Rommel in Africa, the British government realised just how vital tea was to maintaining morale. So, commencing in 1942, the British government bought up the world's entire tea crop every year to ensure stability of supply, irrespective of shipping losses.

Regards,

Gordon

 

WWI ace Eddie Rickenbacker shot down an aircraft on May 7, 1918, but this could not be confirmed at the time. Many decades later the wreckage was found, and this kill was credited to Rickenbacker on 20 January, 1960!



http://users.bigpond.net.au/mantis/FW/Bob/Aces.htm

 

Example of human invention in cruelty:

The Keel-hauling

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/2700/story52.htm

The Dutch invented "keel-hauling" called in France "le supplice de la grande cale," which can be translated as the torture of the grand ducking. The victim would be hauled through the water under the keel of a ship from one side to the other. In more details, the guilty person was tied with a rope around his body, thrown into the water, and each side of the ship sailors in dories, holding each end of the rope, would haul the poor wretch out of the water, give him enough time to take his breath (if he was still alive), and throw him back into the water to be hauled by the sailors on the other side of the ship. This would last as many times as it would have been decided by the captain or those in charge, in accordance to the gravity of the crime. It is easy to understand that two or three of such duckings were more than enough to kill a man.

Most of the time a cannon was fired to invite people to come to "watch and enjoy" this barbarous comedy.

 

Interesting story, Kai. In Holland I grew up with stories like this. They are a part of our great sea-fariong tradition. Not to mention a means to keep discipline on long, tedious voyages to the East.

 

Indeed Stevin,

I was rather surprised the Dutch invented this method but that´s just a fact of history! And I suppose it worked pretty well...

 

Well, it was part of our upbringing....The threat of being keel hauled is just as valid today as it was back then. And it works.

I have seen some funny stuff on Dutch waters, when Dutch families tried to 'relax and get away from it all' but the kids had different ideas...very initmidating stuff!

 

The first fission reaction took place in Germany 1938.



Otto Hahn´s most spectacular discovery came at the end of 1938. While working jointly with Dr. Strassmann, Hahn discovered the fission of uranium and thorium in medium heavy atomic nuclei and his first work on these subjects appeared on 6th January and 10th February, 1939, in Naturwissenschaften.

http://www.nobel.se/chemistry/laureates/1944/hahn-bio.html

 

Interesting info on German research on fission energy:

After the Army had taken control of the atomic programme in 1940 research was carried out, not in the barracks conditions of the Manhattan Project, but by what was called the Uranverein (Uranium Club); Powers remarks that even the word "club" is too formal for what was "an unruly mailing list of competing scientists". The situation is illustrated by the fact that Germany's only particle accelerator was held by the Post Office .



Thomas Powers, Heisenberg's War: the secret history of the German bomb

http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/amroth/scritti/heisenberg.htm

 

They executed the experiment, but the interpretation was mainly discovered by Lise Meitner, who had to leave Germany for being a Jew. She wrote the assumption for a fission in a letter to Hahn 1938.

 

Thanx for the info KnightMove,



Hahn and Lise Meitner

 

Barbarossa

While leading the Third Crusade in 1190, Frederick Barbarossa (the Holy Roman Emperor) drowned as his party was crossing a river.
According to legend, Frederick is in fact only sleeping and will soon return to destroy his enemies. When is it said that he will awake? When his beard has grown all the way around the table at which he is sleeping.

http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=3919

 

On Admiral Nelson using his blind eye for ignoring a retreat order:

1801 was also the year in which Nelson destroyed the Danish Navy at the battle of Copenhagen. During the battle he was sent a signal to break off action by the Admiral Sir Hyde Parker. Nelson put his telescope to his blind eye and said to his Flag Lieutenant "You know Foley I have only one eye. I have a right to be blind sometimes. I really do not see the signal".